Can I turn off QBO's categorization in downloaded transactions?

Yes, you can, newbytoo.

Turning off the Auto-add feature will prevent the system from automatically categorizing your downloaded transactions in QuickBooks Online. 

Let me walk you through how:

1. Navigate the Banking menu and select the Rules tab.
2. Locate the rule and click Edit.
3. Scroll down and toggle under the Automatically confirm transactions this rule applies to option.
4. Click on Save.

With these steps, QuickBooks will no longer automatically categorize the transaction on that specific rule you've created.

Here's an article for more information about bank rules: How to Set and Use Banking Rules for downloaded transactions.

Also, once everything is set, you can now reconcile your account.

If you have other questions, you can post them again here. I'll be around to back you up.

Hi, GlinetteC.  Thank you for your response to my post.  I may not have made my issue clear.  It is not my rules that are the problem.  It is when I do not have a rule that QBO seems to botch the categories...terribly!  

For example, I have a vendor in Hugo MN.  I also visited a restaurant named Hugo's.  Every time I pay my vendor for their service it came up as "Meals Out", the category I would have established for my personal dining.

Worse yet the categories often affect other registers.  Like when I pay my city government for the water bill QBO chooses a credit card payment.  If I don't catch it before accepting the tranaction I will have a mess on my hands for reconciliation.  

I want QBO to stop trying to add categories for me...having them auto confirm is out of the question until QBO can get my categories right.

NewbyToo

I'd love to direct you to the best help available so this gets taken care of, @newbytoo.

QuickBooks Online helps with your bookkeeping by suggesting an income or expense category.

Since the program auto categorized your transactions incorrectly and often affects other registers, it would be best for you to contact our support team. They can check the issue further and help you find more solutions.

Here’s how:

1. Open your QuickBooks Online account.
2. Select the Help (?) menu.
3. In the Assistant window, type in “Talk to a human” in the field.
4. Enter your brief concern, then go to the Contact option.
5. Choose a way to connect with us:
   • Start a chat with a support expert.
   • Get a callback from the next available expert.

You might want to visit this article to learn more about bank rules: Set up bank rules to categorize online banking transactions in QuickBooks Online.

Once everything is good, you can proceed to reconcile your accounts to make sure transactions are balanced. The reference includes fixes and steps to edit completed reconciliations.

Don’t hold back to drop a comment below if you have any other questions or concerns besides categorization. We’ll always be here to help. Take care!

HI, MadelynC.  Your answer was the same as the above answer and is not correct for the situation I described in my post.  

I am NOT having troubles with my rules.  I understand rules and they work great.  

I am having troubles with QBO assigning categories to my downloaded transactions.  QBO is so bad at it I wish they would stop.  I wish I could turn this feature OFF.  Can I?  Why is QBO attempting to categorize my transactions anyway?  

There we go!  Jovychris_A had the solution.  Thank you!

On behalf of my colleague, Jovychris, you're certainly welcome, @newbytoo. 

Please know that you can reach out to the QuickBooks Community for support at any time. Have a wonderful day ahead! 

I followed these directions. I un-checked the "Enable Suggested categorization" Box. It didn't work. All of my transactions still have a suggested category. How do I prevent this?

Hello, tluke. 

I appreciate you taking the time to follow the steps provided by my colleagues. Don't worry; I have more troubleshooting steps to help you determine why transactions keep suggesting categories. 

Open QuickBooks in a private or incognito window. It can help us eliminate any cache-related issues that may have contributed to the problems. To access it, use the following shortcut keys:

• Google Chrome: Press CTRL + Shift + N.
• Safari: Press Command + Shift + N.
• Mozilla Firefox: Press CTRL + Shift + P. 

If private browsing doesn't work, I'd suggest using different browsers. It provides you with the best and most secure experience with QuickBooks. For more details, please see this article: System Requirements For QuickBooks.   

I'd also appreciate it if you included a screenshot or more detailed transaction information to suggest the categories. Are you referring to the for review tab or to your register?
 

I'll add this article for future reference:  Categorize and match online bank transactions in QuickBooks Online. This link will help you match and categorize the transactions. 

If you have follow-up questions for me, leave a comment below. I'd be more than happy to answer it for you. Have a great day!

The directions do not address the issue.  I have unchecked "Enable suggested categorization" however the program continues to auto categorize incorrectly.  It is constantly trying to classify items as transfers to other unrelated accounts.  

I turn off the "Enable suggested category" and next time it is turned back on.  It suggests categories that I have never used.  Also, adds the most random and always 100% incorrect vendor.  This has gotten worse recently.

I appreciate your efforts and the extra information you provided regarding your banking concern, Kevingab. I'll help you sort things out.

Regardless of whether you log out of your QuickBooks Online company, the Enable suggested categorization should remain turned off once it's disabled. There's likely a rule that's created the reason for the auto-categorization to persist on your feed. I suggest deleting the rule to prevent this from happening. Here's how:

1. Open the Banking menu and go to Banking.
2. Navigate to the Rules tab.
3. Locate the rule and click on the Action drop-down.
4. Select Delete.                                                                                                                                                   
5. Then, hit Yes so this rule doesn't apply to future transactions. 

If the issue continues, then you're likely having a browser-related problem due to stored cache for a long period. Perform some basic troubleshooting procedures to isolate this. Start by logging in to your QBO account using an incognito page. The following are the shortcut keys to open it:

• Google Chrome: Press CTRL + Shift + N.
• Safari: Press Command + Shift + N.
• Mozilla Firefox: Press CTRL + Shift + P. 

If this works, then go back to your regular browser and clear its cache. This avoids unusual browser behavior in the future. Otherwise, use another compatible web.

Once everything is in place, you'll want to check out this article that can aid you in reconciling your accounts seamlessly:

• Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online
• Learn the reconcile workflow in QuickBooks

I'm only a few clicks away if you have further concerns about managing your transactions. I'll be more than happy to help you out. Stay safe, and have a good one!

I appreciate the response.  I have 17 rules, it doesn't seem they are being followed.  However, non of the rules have the categories being suggested.   I never use "Cost of Goods Sold or Purchases and almost every one automatically defaults to those accounts.  Every time I open QBO the default to auto category is back on.   I went ahead and disabled the rules that I did have to see what would happen tomorrow.

Also, why is the payee on imported AMEX transaction auto filling.   Can I turn that off.  It is laughably incorrect.

Thank you!

Kevin

Thanks for getting back to the thread, @Kevingab.

QuickBooks Online simplifies your bookkeeping process by suggesting appropriate income or expense categories.

If the program misclassifies your downloaded or imported transactions even after following the troubleshooting steps above, I recommend reaching out to our support team. They can thoroughly investigate the issue and provide you with additional solutions.

Here’s how:

1. Open your QuickBooks Online account.
2. Select the Help (?) menu.
3. In the Assistant window, type in “Talk to a human” in the field.
4. Enter your brief concern, then go to the Contact option.
5. Choose a way to connect with us:
   • Start a chat with a support expert.
   • Get a callback from the next available expert.

For further insights, you might find this article helpful in understanding bank rules: Establishing Bank Rules for Categorizing Online Banking Transactions in QBO.

Once everything is fixed, you can move ahead with reconciling your accounts to verify the accuracy of transactions. 

Feel free to drop a comment below for any queries or issues beyond categorization. We're here to provide continuous assistance. Take care!

Mine is actually turned off however QBO continues to suggest irrelevant categories that I do not use.  In most cases a charge on one credit card is assigned to another credit card.  

Thanks for following up with the Community, VTOH.

If your Enable suggested categorization option is turned off and you've already performed each of the troubleshooting steps mentioned in this thread, but you're still seeing QuickBooks suggesting categories for transactions, I'd recommend getting in touch with our Customer Care team.

They'll be able to pull up your account in a secure environment, conduct further research with you, and create an investigation ticket if necessary. Detailed steps for reaching them can be found in ReymondO's post.

Please don't hesitate to send a reply if there's any questions. Have a wonderful day!

Mine  auto category is turned off, but the randomly turn back on when you log back in.  The categories are to account I have never used.  The Vendor also populates with random vendors:  Anytime Fitness - becomes Anytime Lock and safe.  Mr Taco becomes Taco Bell.  

I did spend an hour on the phone yesterday with support and they are working on it.

Mine is now also resetting every time i log in.  Why does this have to be so hard?